Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in East Haven for 2026, and they all run on rails. Next Stop, Santa! trolley rides start Friday, November 27 at the Shore Line Trolley Museum and run weekends to December 20, Pancake Breakfast with Santa is served on Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, and School Vacation Trolley Rides fill December 26 to 30. We check every date on the host’s own website and link straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in East Haven
- 3 Christmas events for kids in East Haven
- Next Stop, Santa!: November 27 to 29 and December weekends to December 20
- Pancake Breakfast with Santa: Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19
- School Vacation Trolley Rides: December 26 to 30, 11 am to 4 pm
- Every date checked on the museum’s site on Nov 11
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All 3 events
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Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more East Haven events researched for you.
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- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in East Haven
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Event hosts: free events are listed first. The #1 spot puts your event at the top of this page.Inquire about the #1 spotAdd your event for free
Santa trolley
Next Stop, Santa! Trolley Rides
- When: Thanksgiving weekend and December weekends through December 20, 2026: Friday, November 27, 10:30 am to 6 pm, then Saturdays and Sundays 11 am to 6 pm
- Where: Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Ticketed, book online with the museum
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
A heated, decorated trolley carries families down the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the country to meet Santa, who hears wish lists and hands each child a small gift.
After photos and a cup of hot chocolate, kids can wander among the museum’s holiday-decorated trolleys and peek into the gift shop.
Parent tip: Much of the visit is outdoors on the museum grounds, so dress the kids for the cold even though the trolley itself is heated.
- Host
- Shore Line Trolley Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Haven events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Haven daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Haven.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 2 more East Haven events researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in East Haven.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in East Haven before they fill up.
- Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
- Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
- One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.
Coming up on this page
- 2 Santa
- 1 Lights
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in East Haven every week.
Breakfast with Santa
Pancake Breakfast with Santa
- When: Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, 2026, seatings at 8:30 am and 9:30 am
- Where: Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Reservation required. Members pay a $5 per person upcharge and must show a membership ID
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
Santa walks the room greeting families while everyone digs into a pancake breakfast at the trolley museum.
When the plates are cleared, families climb aboard a vintage trolley for a holiday ride along the historic tracks.
Parent tip: Seats are limited and there are only two seatings each Saturday, so reserve early and arrive a few minutes before your time.
- Host
- Shore Line Trolley Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Haven events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Haven daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Haven.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Holiday break trolley rides
School Vacation Trolley Rides
- When: Saturday, December 26 to Wednesday, December 30, 2026, 11 am to 4 pm
- Where: Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Cost: Regular ticket prices, online or at the door
- Ages: All ages
Expand to see the parent tip
During the week after Christmas the museum keeps its holiday decorations and lights up and runs trolley rides for families on school break.
Kids ride a historic car through the salt marsh, then explore the outdoor exhibits and the barns full of old streetcars.
Parent tip: A good pick for restless kids between Christmas and New Year’s. Tickets are sold at the door, so it works as a last-minute plan.
- Host
- Shore Line Trolley Museum (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New East Haven events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in East Haven daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in East Haven.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Connecticut Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each East Haven Christmas event for kids happens
Book a Saturday Pancake Breakfast with Santa, which includes a trolley ride, or pick a Next Stop, Santa! afternoon if your crew sleeps in. Save the vacation rides for the week after Christmas.
- Next Stop, Santa! Trolley RidesEast Haven · Nov 27 to Dec 20
- Pancake Breakfast with SantaEast Haven · Dec 5 to Dec 19
- School Vacation Trolley RidesEast Haven · Dec 26 to Dec 30
Looking further afield? Our Connecticut Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the state, and we have city guides for New Haven, Bridgeport, Meriden and Fairfield. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.
A story for the drive home
A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonKeep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Connecticut city.
East Haven Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in East Haven this year?
Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 3 Christmas events for kids in East Haven for 2026, all at the Shore Line Trolley Museum: Next Stop, Santa! trolley rides, Pancake Breakfast with Santa, and School Vacation Trolley Rides.
When is Next Stop, Santa! in 2026?
Friday, November 27 from 10:30 am to 6 pm, then Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm on November 28 and 29 and December 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20.
When is Pancake Breakfast with Santa at the trolley museum?
Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19, 2026, with seatings at 8:30 am and 9:30 am. A vintage trolley ride follows breakfast. Members pay a $5 per person upcharge.
Where is the Shore Line Trolley Museum?
At 17 River Street in East Haven. Most of the Santa event takes place outdoors, so dress warmly.
Who do I contact about the Santa trolley?
The Shore Line Trolley Museum at reservations@shorelinetrolley.org.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids in Connecticut?
Yes. Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Connecticut Christmas train rides page.
How do you confirm these events?
We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked East Haven on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, restrooms and bad-weather plans.
Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.